


The Thief, The Archer, and The Boy who Lived

by shallograves



Category: Doctor Who, Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Aliens and tony stark, Attempted Rape/Non-Con, BAMF!Harry, Bad bad bad albus dumbledore, Bruce Banner and Neville longbottom, Bruce Banner is a doll, Bucky curses a lot, Clint Needs a Hug, Daddy Clint to the rescue, Everyone Needs A Hug, F/M, Genderfluid Character, Good Harry Potter, Grandpa Nick Fury, Harry and Lorelei need a hug, Language, Lorelei is a sailor, Love at First Sight, M/M, Multi, Multiple Personalities, Neville Longbottom is a Good Friend, Neville is a sad person, Older Clint, Past Rape/Non-con, Pickpocketing, Romance, Sex, Sexual Experimentation, Slow Burn, Soulmates, Suicide Attempt, Teens being teens, Told from various points of view, Triad soul mates, but it happens, cap curses a lot, genderfluid!harry, guys try and they don't succeed, harry crossdresses, murder is bad, not very explicit underage stuff, not very safe sex, stealing to survive, time skips galore
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-21
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2020-10-25 04:50:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 10
Words: 18,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20718374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shallograves/pseuds/shallograves
Summary: Harry and Lorelei Potter have been abused their entire lives, but things changed after Lorelei steals from one Clint Barton. Follow the twins while they learn the meaning of love, fight off aliens, and find out the truth of that fateful night at Godric Hallow.





	1. Let me tell you

Every story has a beginning. 

Someplace that marks the start of life. It doesn't have to be when someone is born, even if that does mark the beginning of the end for some people. 

His beginning started in the back alley in New York, half the size of the man pummeling him. His fists were up, his eyes squinted to keep blood from dripping in them. He wobbles as he tries to stay upright, his attackers laughing as they taunt him. 

Why doesn’t he just stay down? 

The answer comes in the cocky grin and slurred line, a sentence that would become his mantra. 

_ “I can do this all day.” _

Her beginning was being led at three years old into a dorm room filled with girls, covered in soot and scared for her life. Her body bouncing off the cot she is dumped on by a stern-faced woman who doesn’t answer her questions when she asks where she is. Her beginning is filled with dancing and pain. 

And a room drenched in red. 

But I guess, the easiest place for this to begin is with me. 


	2. Chapter 2

“GET UP!” 

Awareness comes like a sharp knife through my dreams, just as dust comes from the ceiling, sprinkling god knows what on me. And on my brother, who curls up deeper into the covers as he tries to block out the noise. 

“Harry... “ I nudged him, he is in my way to the door, his gangly legs sprawled out and taking most of the room in the small space. He just groans and waves his hand at me, not quite ready to wake up. 

I wish I could be so lazy. 

Not that it is laziness. I can feel the fever on his skin from where he is pressed against me, and I know that I will be working twice as hard to complete our chores for the day. 

There was no way Harry would be up for working around the house, seeing as he had been beaten almost to death three nights ago. 

Just thinking of the beating he had taken has me almost frothing, my fingernails digging into my palms as I try to keep calm. It is a failing battle, a war I have been waging for the last few years, the tight hold I have on my anger slowly slipping. I know I can’t ever let my temper get the best of me, not when I have Harry to look after. 

“Get up! I swear if you do not have breakfast ready in the next fifteen minutes there will be hell to pay!” Our Aunt slams her hand against the door, finally spurring Harry from his sleep as he rubs the dirt from his eyes. He doesn’t say a word as he finally moves his feet away from my side of the room, giving me the space I need to crawl to our door. 

The door to the cupboard under the stairs, where we have slept for the last 10 years. 

Pushing the door open, I barely get it open before I hear the thudding of my cousin, Dudley, coming down the stairs. His heavy footfalls are enough to dislodge a few spiders, one falling into the mess I call my hair. Reaching up, I pick it out, setting it back near its web. 

**Thank you. **

“No problem,” I whisper, just loud enough that Harry gives me a warning glance. 

That’s right, I had to be more careful, chastising myself as I crawl out and stand on my feet. My knees wobble as I try to get my balance, swaying in a way that reminds me of a baby deer. Once my balance has been restored enough that I am sure I am not going to fall, I turn to close the door, catching a glance at Harry sprawling out further in the empty space I had once occupied. 

Guilt tears through me, seeing the bruising on his knobby knees, from where Vernon had him… 

It wasn’t my fault, the mantra goes through my head a few times as I head to the kitchen to start on breakfast, keeping my head down as I weave through kitchen. 

The lie isn’t enough to calm the racing in my heart, because the beating Harry had gotten was because of me. 

I hadn’t been careful, not like I should have been when using my powers. My mental connection with nature, or my wicked sense as Harry liked to call it. I had just been helping a friendly garden snake when Dudley had seen me, ratting me out to my Uncle. The man had been furious but like always, he had gone after Harry instead of me. 

He had learned a long time ago that I would do anything to keep Harry safe, and the quickest way to hurt me was to hurt him. 

I hated him for it. 

“Here you go Uncle.” I said sweetly as I finished the food, setting it down in front of my uncle first and then my cousin. Both of them didn’t even pay me any attention, scarfing down the food as if it was the only thing they had eaten in a year. I grimaced in disgust when I saw some of the eggs mix with my uncles drool, dripping slowly down his chin. 

“Lorelei.” My name shocked me out of my disgust, my head swiveling around to look at my aunt. Her nose was upturned as she looked at me, her eyes holding every bit of distaste she had for me. She hated me, all of the hatred she had for her sister, my mother, transferring to me. 

“Yes Aunt Petunia?” I hoped beyond hoping that she would be giving me some food, my stomach gurgling. But my hopes were dashed when she handed me a few pounds and a grocery list. 

“We are having guests tonight. I’ll need all of this before Vernon gets home..” Looking down at the list, and then at the money she had given me, I winced when I saw I didn’t have nearly enough. Oh how she loved to do this to me, and when I looked up from the items in my hands, I could see the twinkle in her eye. 

Damn her.

I knew better than to ask for more money, but I had gotten good at finding bargains. When that failed, my hands would become a hell of a lot stickier. 

“Yes Aunt Petunia. I’ll need Harry to help me carry everything. “ Not that he would be really going with me. I was going to leave him at the library, in the corner where he could sleep or read all day. I was strong enough to carry everything by myself. 

“Fine.” She hissed underneath her breath before she turned to dote on Dudley. For a moment, I glared at her back, feeling rage settle down in my stomach before I pushed it to the side. I couldn’t lose my temper. 

Not when Harry needed me. 

Finishing the chores that needed to be done before I left, I hurried back to the cupboard that served as our room, knocking on it softly. I didn’t know if Harry was awake and I didn’t need to startle him. 

“Come in.” His voice was soft, the hoarse sound making me wince. God, he sounded like he was coming down with a cold. And that was the last thing either of us needed. 

Slipping into the room, I flicked on our light, wincing when I finally got a good look at the damage that had been done to him. While his face had been left alone, his body was a mess of bruises and small cuts. His ribs were starting to stick out again, much like mine did when I saw my body in the mirror. 

When I bothered to look in a mirror. 

“Aunt Petunia wants us to go to the store.” I leaned down as I spoke, grabbing a cleanish shirt from our bed. We slept on our clothes, as it was better than sleeping on the ground, which got cold even during the summer. Harry looked a little green as he moved towards the edge of our bed, dressed in nothing but his boxers. 

“I don’t think I can..I can make it to the store.” I ignored him for a moment as I searched his side of the pile for clothes for him to wear. I tried to ignore the guilt that was slowly eating away at my gut. His hands shook as he took the shirt I offered him. 

“I know. Think you can make it to the hideout.” It was our word for Library and he nodded, his eyes widening a bit in excitement. I couldn’t help but smile at him, loving how excited he got when it came to books. And learning. 

“I hope they still have that history book.” He had had to leave it last time we had gone to the store, since neither of us had a library card. 

“They should since I hid it in the adult section.” 

Harry just rolled his eyes at me, before he started to try and get dressed. I watched for only a few moments, my stomach rolling as he made small noises under his breath. 

One day, I would kill the Dursleys. 

  
  


It took us almost an hour to get to the Library and for me to make sure Harry would be okay. We had gotten lucky as I had been able to find his history book and some other books for him before leaving him in the small reading nook, with the promise that he would be careful and not move without me. 

The store wasn’t far away, but I took my time, making a mental list of everything that needed to be done. I had three hours before I had to pick up Harry, and another two after that to make dinner and set the house up for guests. It didn’t give me a lot of time to shop for bargains, and I decided quickly that it would be easier to pickpocket some tourists for money, and then go shopping. 

Stealing had never been my favorite pastime, seeing how it always left me with a hole in my stomach and an ache in my chest. But it had been a necessity, after our eighth birthday had found both me and Harry starving and alone. 

The Dursleys had gone on vacation, locking up the house and locking every cabinet so neither of us could get food. I knew they hoped to find us dead when they got home, but thankfully, the freakishness that had plagued me my entire life had come in handy for once as I had stolen enough to keep us fed. 

Harry knew, and I knew he hated it when I did it. 

Making my way to the park, I was surprised to see a tour group, smirking to myself when I noticed a lot of them were American. Americans were the easiest to steal from, the awe of being in a different country leaving them none the wiser as my fingers slipped into purses and back pockets. 

By the time the group moved on, I had stolen sixty dollars, and a pack of chewing gum. 

It was more than enough, and shopping went by within an hour. Seeing I had time, and money, I decided to live dangerously and get some treats for Harry. 

Walking into the candy store with my bags, I set them down near the counter, giving Mr. McMillion, the man who owned the store, a small smile. He just glared at me, his eyes watching me closely behind his cokebottle glasses. 

Grabbing two bars of chocolate, I had barely set down the items down when I heard a voice from behind me, my body going cold. 

“So this is what you decided to do with the money you stole from me.” 


	3. Clint Barton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is told from the point of view of Clint Barton, who is one the main characters of the story. He is in third person, because only Harry and Lorelei will be told in first. This chapter is unbetaed and will contain mistakes, so sorry!

“This isn’t working out.” 

Clint stared at the ring in his hand, the ring that his wife had worn just hours before. The ring he had slid on her dainty finger almost seven years ago in front of a justice of the peace, Nick Fury and his wife's best friend standing just feet from them. The ring that he had given her with the promise that he would be true to her, that nothing would come between them, ever. 

Promises that his wife hadn’t bothered to keep it seems if the documents on the bench next to him were proof of anything. The documents detailed everything that he had been blind to in the last seven years of being married to the love of his life, to the viper who he had slept with. Inside, there were pictures and text messages, a story of betrayal played out in paper. 

“Fuck her man.” Clint turned his head a little to look at Daniel, his newest partner, and he barely retained the urge to hit him. He didn’t like Daniel, or “Danny” as the man liked to be called, and he could barely stand to be around him.

And if Clint was honest with himself, it wasn’t Daniel’s fault either. 

Clint had never been good with partners, not even when his wife had been his. It was something ingrained into his very being by his brother, that he was better off alone. Because if Barney, his flesh and blood, could betray him, then everyone else could and probably would as well. 

Thinking of Barney brought a whole new slew of emotions to the front of his frazzled mind, Clint squeezing the ring in between his fingers. He wished he was strong enough to bend the metal, but it had been made of some supposedly unbreakable metal. 

_ Like our bond was supposed to be.  _

Standing up with a sigh, he shoved the ring into his pocket, barely giving Daniel a second glance as he headed to where he was supposed to be meeting an informant. There had been new intel about some things going down in England that SHIELD needed to be aware of. 

_ Fucking Wizards.  _

“Hey, man. Wait up.” Daniel caught up just seconds later and both men headed to towards the statue that the informant had been told to wait at. Within moments of getting there, Clint had to count backward as the place was swarmed with tourists. 

“Shit, we aren’t going to be able to find him in this.” Daniel voiced the very thoughts going through Clint's head, the blond turning to nod his head to the other side of the park. 

“Go secure evac. I’ll get out intel.” Daniel knew better than to argue, but it didn’t stop him from giving his partner a look. 

“Sure.” He snapped, turning on his heel and heading to where Clint wanted him. Clint was glad for the lack of hearing in his left ear, knowing from the look one of the women sent Daniel that the man was cursing. 

“I apologize, ma’am.” She just sniffed and turned back to her tour guide, her arms crossing her ample chest. He tuned out her mumbles about youth, keeping himself from snapping at her that he was not a youth. 

Clint was 30 years old, he was not young anymore. 

Looking around, he could have smiled when he spied his informant, an oddly dressed man who lingered near the outer edges of the group. He was covered in more than one layer of clothing, hunched over a little with a large cloak draped around him. He looked ancient, his white hair pulled back from his papery face. 

“Mr. Flamel?” The man turned a little to give him a thin smile, his lips cracked and his body shaking. Clint felt worried for the old dude swell in his stomach, his hands itching to lead him to a bench. 

But Flamel was a wizard and he didn’t trust the guy as far as he could throw him. 

“Mr. Barton.” His voice was nothing more than a whisper, and Clint wanted to shoot himself in the foot for sending Daniel away. Reaching up, his fingers found the volume of his hearing aids, wincing when he turned it up. 

God, he could hear everything now. And it hurt. 

“Sir, we were told you had vital information for us.” Clint watched as Flamel nodded, practically hearing the bones of his body creak. 

“Yes. I.. I do. “His hand shook as he reached into his pocket, one withered eyebrow-raising when Clint tensed, the archer expecting less than a moment a gun to come out from the old man's pocket.

Instead, he pulled out a bundle of papers. 

“Fury asked me to give this to him when the time was right… When he was back.” Clint took the papers into his hands, shoving them quickly into his empty pocket. 

“Don’t be too hard on the child. She is hungry.” Clint wrinkled his nose in confusion, his mouth opening to ask Flamel what the hell he was talking about when he realized something. 

_ My wallet was in my pocket.  _

Whirling around, Clint scanned the crowd, picking up the small thing weaving in and out with ease. And he saw her hand reaching into purses and pockets, pulling things out as if it was nothing. 

Clint admired, only for a moment, the familiar ease at which she did it. Pained at how much it reminded him of him and Barney. 

They had been starving for weeks when Clint had learned how to pickpocket and Barney had learned how to run scam after scam. The money had come easy, but not without a cost, especially after the few times Clint had been caught. 

Memories almost distracted him from his mission, choking him with emotions as he thought about his past. 

_ Poor kid. Wish I could let you keep it all.  _

And Clint did wish he could let the small thing keep it all, not caring for the wallet she had stolen. But inside the wallet was something he could never give up, especially since it could bring down his life around him. More than it already had. 

Because his SHIELD ID was inside that wallet. 

“We will be in..” Clint turned for a moment to tell the man he would be in touch, sighing when he saw the geezer was already gone. “Touch.” 

God, Clint hated wizards. 

By the time he had turned back around, the small thing running off with his shit was gone. Cursing under his breath, Clint made a motion to Daniel for the rookie to stay put, because the last thing that he needed was for the man to get mixed up in everything and for Clint to lose his wallet. 

Making his way through the crowd, he could hear some of the people around him realize the same thing he just had. Soon, everyone in the group of tourists was searching for their valuables, and Clint had to admit he was impressed when over half confirmed that they had shit stolen. 

Not even Clint had been that good of a pickpocket. 

At the edge of the park area, Clint could see just a glimpse of red hair, his eyes narrowing in on the small girl as she ducked and weaved past people, hurrying but not running. If he didn’t know how to spot someone suspicious, then he would have just thought she was just a rambunctious kid. 

But Clint had been taught how to see the details of someone nervous, could see her hands fidgeting in her pockets, most likely fingering her prizes. Her hair whirled around her face, revealing her youthful looks every time she turned to look back. 

Clint was careful as he watched her shop, watched her struggle with the bags that even he would have a hard time with. It was obvious that this wasn’t just a survival thing, that she was shopping for someone when he heard her mumble about prices and an Aunt. 

If she wasn’t an orphan, then what the fuck was she doing shopping on her own and steal money for the groceries. 

She was a child, a baby. 

  
  


Clint almost stopped, but the reminder of what she had stolen had him keeping pursuit, following her from the grocers and into what looked like a candy store. Memories of himself doing the same thing made him chuckle. It was nice to know kids never changed, and he was almost glad the girl had the sense to buy something for herself. 

_ Or maybe not...  _ Clint thought to himself as he walked in, seeing her buy chocolate with an almost disgusted look on her face. As she laid down her things to buy, he knew this was his chance to confront her. 

“So this is what you decided to buy with my money?” He couldn’t keep the amusement out of his voice, his eyebrow-raising high when she whipped around towards him, her electric green eyes wide. He could see the fear in them, and Clint stepped back, raising his hands. 

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about.” She hissed, her eyes darting back to the older man behind the counter. Clint could see the gears working in the man’s head, and could see the worry on hers. 

“Miss Potter, yeh didn’t steal money for this did ya?” Clint could see the girl flinch as the man reached out for her arm, her whole body almost curling upon itself. 

_ Like me and Barney, hiding from Pa. _

Clint knew from his time in the circus the signs of abuse, and it wasn't hard to see them on the small girl when he was this close. Her clothes were huge on her, and threadbare. Her hair was a mess, and not just wild but a mess in an unkempt way, as if her hair had never been brushed in her life. When she turned, he saw her shirt slip past her shoulder, her collarbones sharp. 

_ Someone needs to get this kid clothes that fit and a good hot meal.  _

Clint didn't know what he was doing until he did it, reaching out to smack the man's hand away from the girl. She still flinched when he laid a hand on her shoulder, but instead of fear in her eyes, there was a cold, calm, calculation.

He had seen some agents who couldn't reign down on the type of terror that he had seen in her eyes, not as fast as she did anyway. 

“I gave you money for the groceries, and you come and buy candy kid?” She raised her chin a little as he sighed, his tone like he was scolding her. The clerk looked confused for a moment, Clint's head-turning to him. "I'm sorry sir. My niece here was supposed to wait for me before she went off and bought some sweets." 

The man didn't seem to buy it for a moment, but Clint had always been a good actor. 

And this little girl seemed to be a better one. 

"But you were taking so long at the telly store. "She shifted, her nose wrinkling at him in the way he expected a spoiled child to. "You promised after we got groceries that I could get some chocolate. " 

"So you took my wallet and went off on your own??" He turned to her and held out his hand, his eyes hard as he wiggled his fingers. Her eyes went just as hard as she pulled the wallet out, handing her his. And it was his, he noticed with awe. 

_ Cool trick.  _

"Well, what is the damage, my man? For the bars of chocolate?" Clint ignored the surprise on her face as he stood, opening his wallet and searching for his cash. Not seeing all of it, he realized that there was also bills from other countries there. 

_ She was planning on keeping my wallet. Or at least holding onto it for now.  _

"It's 2.34 sterling. "Clint pulled it out along with the change, grabbing the bars of chocolate and turning. 

"Come on. We gotta catch up with your aunt. "It brought him some sick joy to think of Daniel as an aunt, smirking to himself. Reaching down with a hand on her shoulder, he grabbed her bags with only a small grunt as he lifted them. They were heavy, and he could hear the cans shifting in the bags. 

Clint didn't stop until he had led her back to the park, his hand clenched tight on her shoulder. The agent kept his eyes open for threats, shaking his head at Daniel when the man moved to go to them. He didn't know if two people would make this little girl bolt. 

_ I want to know how the fuck she picked me. _

"So.. little thief? What is your name?" Clint knelt on the ground to get to her level, marveling at how tiny she was. She couldn't have been more than 8, maybe even younger. But there was something in her eyes, dangerous energy that he could see crackling as she glared at him with all she was worth. 

_ She's got anger issues.  _

"Lorelei. Lorelei Potter. And if you wouldn't mind unhanding me. I need to get home to my real aunt and uncle." She tried to shrug him off, her shoulders working hard. "I said let me go. " 

"Fat chance kid. You pickpocketed me. I know you don't know, but I am a very hard man to pickpocket. So how the hell did you?" Lorelei seemed to stop for a moment before she wiped her face of emotion and deadpanned to him.

"Magic." 

Lorelei wouldn't know it but the answer made a sick sort of sense, looking at the little girl. Clint knew magic, he knew the signs and looking into her eyes he could see it. It wasn't just anger that was making her pretty green eyes swirl, it was magic. 

Uncontrolled and dangerous. 

Letting her go, he sighed, waving his hand at her. 

"Okay witch. Where are your aunt and uncle? You can't be using magic to do stuff like this." Clint watched as her nose wrinkled, Lorelei stepping back. 

"I was joking. Magic isn’t real, and if you think it is then you need help.” She deadpanned, her eyes still glowing as she took another step back. A small cracking noise sounded off as her foot met the pavement, and Clint watched as small cracks started from where her foot was. They spiderwebbed outwards, her magic lashing out in what little way it could. 

Clint knew the look of surprise on her face mirrored his own as he looked down at the ground. 

She was a magical child, but he knew she hadn't been raised as one. 

_ I’m too old for this shit.  _

“You need to come with me kid.” Clint reached out for her arm, taking note of how she flinched, her whole body curling in and her feet shuffling back. He knew those signs well, his eyes narrowing dangerously. 

_ Someone is hurting her.  _

“I’m not going anywhere with you.” She looked to the right and then the left, his body reading itself as he recognized the signs of someone getting ready to flee. Quick as lightning, his hand was clamped around her wrist, just as she turned to bolt. 

“LET ME GO!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next up is Lorelei. Then Harry after that.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is from Lorelei's POV, right after the last. Be advised that this chapter is unbetaed and will contain mistakes.

I can’t stop running, I’m almost afraid to. 

If I stop running, then I am going to have to breathe. I’m going to have to smell the electrical storm in the air, it’s bad enough that I am now soaked to the bone. 

_ I don’t have the groceries either.  _

I can’t bring myself to care that Aunt Petunia is going to beat me, or that Harry might get the brunt of my mistakes. All I can think about is the chaos I have barely escaped, my heart in my throat. 

Eventually, I do stop running, gasping for breath as I practically collapse in an alley. The wall is sticky where I lean against it, making me gag. I don’t even want to know what I am smearing into my clothes. 

That man, the one with the blue eyes and blond hair is most likely dead. 

I know he is, no one could have escaped the gaping hole I left in the ground. I can still hear people screaming, even if it is just an echo in my head. 

How did I even do that? 

Turning so my back is against the wall, I slide down it, my legs shaking. They haven’t stopped shaking really, not since the man had led me out of the candy store, chastising me for using the money he gave me for sweets. I think my whole body is on the verge of rattling apart at this point.

It doesn’t matter, because he is dead. I killed someone. 

Turning my head, I puke what little I have in my stomach, the emptiness in it making pain lance through me. Even though it is empty, I keep puking. 

The bile just seeps into the ground, the smell burning my nose. 

I don't have the groceries. 

Aunt Petunia is going to kill us, I know she is. But I no longer have any money, and I don’t trust myself to go back out, to pickpocket anyone else. Fear bubbles up in my stomach as I think about going back home. 

_ That isn’t home, Lorelei.  _

No home is a small boy who is waiting at the library. Home is small smiles and the smell of dust. It is green eyes hidden behind thick wire glasses. 

We can’t go back. 

Pulling at my hair, I try and calm down, but I can’t. Feeling my lungs close up, I am choking on my breath as panic blurs my vision. 

_ It’s just a panic attack, I’m fine.  _

I repeat the mantra to myself, over and over until the pain stops and I can finally breathe. Closing my eyes, I can feel the beginnings of a migraine hit me behind my eyes, nausea rolling my stomach again. But I know I don’t have time for this. 

I need to get up, get to Harry and get the fuck out of dodge. 

Because suddenly, running is the best decision we can make. It isn’t going to belong until the Dursley’s come looking, and if they find us, we are going to be in so much trouble.

_ Not to mention the fact that I gave that man my real name.  _

Pushing myself off the ground, I ground myself with the pain in my body. I use it to push myself forward, heading to the entrance of the alleyway, stepping into the crowd and following it. 

  
  


It doesn’t take long for me to find where I am, and I am kind of surprised by how far I got. 

Three miles, I had run, nonstop, for three whole miles. It explained why no one was looking for me here, and why I hadn’t seen any police scanning the area for me. And it’s been long enough, that when I get back to the library, the police have already been through. 

Stepping into the building, I am greeted with a frazzled boy, Harry’s eyes wide behind his glasses as he practically launches himself at me. I take that second to push my hand to his mouth, shaking my head once. 

He just nods, accepting my silent plea to be quiet and not ask any questions. 

But I can see that he wants to, his eyes burning with inquires as we turn down the street heading away from the Dursleys. 

It takes him about fifteen minutes to break the silence. 

“Where are we going, Lore?” His voice is small, and I can hear the slight fear in it. But when I look back at him, there isn’t any of that fear in his eyes. There is only determination and pain. 

Fuck I had forgotten that he was hurt still. 

“Away. We aren’t going back to Dursleys.” We both flinch at how cold my voice is, my face scrunching up as I patted his arm in apology. He just nods and keeps going, walking forward with his head held up. 

“Then we need to keep going. Vernon and Petunia are gonna come looking soon.” I snort at his answer. I love him even more right then, loving how he fell into line with the not going back in seconds. 

He hates them even more than I do. 

Another fifteen minutes pass before we stop, pulling ourselves into the side of a building and sitting. As my butt hits the ground, I take stock of what I have on me. Which isn’t much. 

Enough money to buy us something to eat, and that's about it. 

Biting my lip, I consider it, knowing we both need the energy boost, especially with my empty stomach and Harry being hurt. But then we would have nothing if we went and got something cheap. 

_ I’ll pickpocket for more tomorrow.  _

Panic goes through me at the thought, but I know I have to. We aren’t going to survive without money. 

“Are you hungry?” I ask, almost laughing when a second later Harry sends me a look. It screams disbelief as if he can’t believe I’m asking him that. 

“Is the sky blue, lore? Of course, I’m bloody hungry.” He shifts as his stomach gurgles, the sound making us both giggle. 

“I have enough money to get us food tonight, and maybe some water bottles. But we gotta be quick, kay? In and out.” He nods once at this, getting up and holding his hand out to me. I take it because I know his pride would be hurt if I don’t. Using it to pull myself up, I feel guilty as his face screws up in pain. 

I don’t say anything, and neither does he. 

  
  


We find ourselves in a small fast food place, the golden arches gleaming from the side of the road. Inside, the food is cheap and not very good, but it is enough to fill our bellies. Harry even eats more than I do, rubbing his stomach as he leans back and smiles. 

I smile back because I know he is full for probably the first time in years. 

We don’t spend a lot of time inside, and when we get moving again, we both have more energy than we started. Harry even hums under his breath as we walk in the shadows of the buildings, everything getting scummier and scummier. I know we are getting to a part of town that neither of us has been to before, but that’s good. 

_ It means we won’t be found.  _

The renewal of energy gets us about seven miles away from the Dursleys, and into an industrial area that stinks. And I mean it stinks bad, like rotten fish and other things that make my stomach turn just thinking about. 

“We can sleep here tonight.” Harry gives me a look as I speak, and honestly, I am a little surprised at myself for even suggesting it. Because sleeping here means dealing with the smell, but I know we will be safe here. 

Or at least I hope we are. 

It doesn’t take us long to find a small corner someplace to sleep, both of us curling up around each other like we normally do. The silence is kind blaring, with both so used to the sounds of the Dursley’s and Dudley screaming for more more more. Harry doesn’t even complain about his feet, which I know hurt because mine are screaming at me. 

“Where are we going to go?” It takes me a second to realize that Harry isn’t the one who spoke, but me. My cheeks burn because I should know where we are going. And I know it isn’t fair to ask Harry since he just came along with this little adventure. 

“We... We find a home.” 


	5. Chapter 5

Lorelei was gone. 

I knew she wasn’t here, the moment I woke up I was painfully aware of the fact that she was no longer sleeping next to me. I guess I really shouldn’t be surprised that she was gone since I knew exactly what she was doing. 

Lorelei knew how much I hated her stealing stuff from people. I mean, there are people out there who need it more than us. And she couldn’t always be sure that she wasn’t stealing the last bit of money someone had to survive. What if her selfish act was what had someone out on the street? 

We didn’t talk about, it was taboo between us. I knew if I broached the subject with her that she would clam up in her Lorelei way and would avoid me. And right now, I couldn’t afford that. 

I needed her, I needed her here. 

Getting up, I stretched, wincing when the ache returned with a vengeance. My body was used to sleeping on the ground, but that didn’t keep my bones from aching. Sometimes, I felt a million years old. 

I never felt eleven. 

Because we were now, as of midnight. We were now eleven years old, and I didn’t feel a second of it. 

Lorelei said it was because we had been made to grow up too fast. I knew she tried to keep me a kid, but there was only so much that could happen before you stopped believing in childish things. 

Brushing off the dirt from my pants, I reached for one of our water bottles, frowning as I felt the dew on the bottle. The water was ice cold as I sipped at it, and I knew right then that Lorelei hadn’t been gone for long. She probably had snuck in someplace and filled up the three bottles we had managed to get. 

And all three of them were full, so I didn’t feel super guilty about draining this one. 

After my water-based breakfast, I packed up our things, shoving everything into the plastic bag that was starting to tear. We would need to get a backpack or something, especially if we were doing this running away thing. 

We had run away before, but we had never gotten this far. 

_ Lorelei tried to get me to move faster, but she’d always been quicker than me. She didn’t leave me though, not even when she should have. Looking back, I could see what we were running from, the headlights of the car blinding me.  _

_ “Get back here!” Uncle Vernon screamed, revving his engine as he got closer and closer. Scrambling to the left, we took off down an alleyway, Lorelei panicking and pulling at her hair.  _

_ “Oh god, oh god.” She whispered, turning her head this way and that, the lights illuminating the bruise on her face. Numbly, I wonder if she is hurt anywhere else.  _

_ God knows I am.  _

_ “You need to leave me.” I try and tell her, but her sharp look just makes me quiet down. I know she won’t leave me, not ever.  _

_ Because we are a family.  _

_ Turning the corner, I can feel my stomach drop as dread fills my body.  _

_ We are at a dead end, a wall greeting us.  _

_ “You need to go.” I look at Lorelei in disbelief as she nods to the wall. I know what she is thinking, that if she gives me a boost I can get over it. But then she won’t be able to and I would have to leave her.  _

_ “No. I’m not going. You can't make me.” Lorelei turned her head to me, her eyes begging me to just listen to her. Just this once.  _

_ But then the blood drains from her face, and I turn around.  _

The memory stops there because I can’t remember what happened next, other than waking up sore and halfway dead in our cupboard. Lorelei would be gone for three days, and when she came back she was different. 

Colder, harder. 

She was still that way, even if she got better at hiding the steel in her eyes. 

Picking up the bag, I head towards the street, keeping sharp for any signs of our Uncle or Aunt. We made a risky move, coming so close to Grunnings where Uncle Vernon worked. But it was a nicer area and Lorelei had been sure we could get money here. 

Steal money. 

Stealing from the rich didn’t bother me much, but I still didn’t like it. You could never know about a person by looking at them if they were in need. I hated taking from others. 

But we would be dead without it. 

Closing my eyes for a second, I follow that line inside of me, the line that has been there for as long as I can remember. It isn’t the only one that exists, there are many of them, but this one glow bright and beautiful. It's red, with the tiniest orange and gold flecks in it. 

Lorelei. 

When I open my eyes, I know exactly where she is at, I can feel her. Walking down the road, I keep to the side, away from the eyes of people passing by. No one looks at me, and if they do, it is only for a second or two before they are looking away. 

I am the scum under their shoes, and they didn’t bother with scum. 

For a moment I let my guard down, about a block away from Lorelei. It is only for a second or two, but it is long enough for me to bump into someone. 

Falling back, I yelp as I land hard on the ground, my palm splitting open on the concrete. Looking up, I am met with the kindest blue eyes I have ever seen, the man wide-eyed as he reaches up to pull at his hair. He is injured it looks like, his left hand bandaged and his cheek patched up. 

“Shit kid. Fuck. I am so sorry.” American, I recognize his accent almost immediately and I shift on the ground. I have never met an American before, and the need to inquire about his life comes up strong. 

Lorelei always said I was way too nosey. 

“It-its okay.” I give him the smallest of smiles, the one I reserve for strangers. And teachers. The one that tells the world that I am a perfectly innocent kid. 

By the way, his eyebrow raises, I can tell it doesn’t fool him much. 

“You sure kid? By the looks of you, I would think being knocked over by me would hurt.” It does hurt, but I won’t give him the knowledge that it does. Shaking my head quickly, I widen my smile, my eyes going a little wide. 

“I’m small for my age sir. But I assure you, I’m okay.” I stand up, determined to prove just how okay I am. 

But not eating for three days does funny things to your body at weird times. 

I find myself unable to get up from my kneeling position, my breathing coming out in pants as the world tilts. It's like the whole world is now shifting to the side and I am almost afraid I am going to fall off the edge if it turns anymore. I can see his eyes widening as I look up at him, hear him curse under his breath. 

His hands come down, pulling me up slowly, steadying me. 

“How long has it been since you ate?” There isn't any judgment or pity in his voice, just… Knowing. Instinctively I know he knows how I feel, how it feels to be so hungry. 

“Three days.” Lorelei would have my head if she knew I had given the information out so easily, and I don’t even know why I did. It isn’t like me, but there is a part of me screaming that this man can be trusted. 

It scares me a little how much I need to trust him. 

“Alright then. Come on, I’m getting you something to eat.” He doesn’t give me a chance to answer, instead of pulling me along. His hand is gentle on my shoulder, but strong. 

It would suck to pull away from a hold like his. 

We don’t walk far, just to the fast food place on the corner. It is like the one Lorelei had taken me some nights ago, the last place I had any sort of food. Leading me to a table, he leaves me there with the instructions to not move. I don’t even want to move, not when the smell of burgers and fries has my stomach growling. 

It’s loud enough that some of the other patrons are looking at me oddly, making me sink in my seat. 

“Hey kid, I got you a drink. I mean, you drink soda right?” I barely look up at him as he set down the cup, my eyes flickering down at it. I had never drunk soda before, I mean not like I didn’t want to. 

I had always wanted to drink the sweet carbonated drink. 

“I.. I never had it.” I wince as the man makes a little noise like he couldn’t quite believe what he had heard. 

“Oh, then you are in for a treat. This stuff is so good. Like you are going to love it. Come on.” He gestures me to follow, and I do, his smile widening as he points back at the table and the cup. “With the cup.” 

Ducking my head, I rushed back to the table and grabbed it. 

“So we have your normal colas, Coke and stuff.” He proceeds to explain to me the different types of cola, pouring a little into my cup and having me try each. With a wince, I drink down the carbonated stuff, my eyes widening at the taste and feel of it going down my throat. 

Was this why Dudley drank so much of the stuff?

“I like the crush.” I decide softly, his answering smile brightening his entire face. 

“Then crush it is.” He takes the cup from me and fills it, putting a lid on the cup and poking the straw through. It is about that time that a number is called, and he rushes over to grab the food he got for us both. 

“I hope you don’t mind burgers. I thought that would be a safe bet.” I nod along with him as he sets down the food, my fingers itching to grab one and scarf it down. I can barely remember my table manners when he finally waves his hand at me. 

Carefully, I pick apart the burgers, eating one and sliding the other into my bag when I don’t think he is looking. Even though he has bought this food for me, I knew Lorelei needed it just as much. The french fries he got are good, and I lick my fingers when I am done, savoring the flavor on them. 

When all is said and done, I spend only twenty minutes with the man, both of us eating in relative silence. As I finish, I can feel his eyes on me, and I know the silence is not going to be lasting much longer. 

“What’s your name kid?” I look up at him for a moment, watching him lean back in his chair. His hands cross his stomach, a pose that I had done once or twice when I was fullish. 

“Harry… Harry Potter sir.” I could hear his intake of breath, flinching back when he suddenly straightens, a serious look on his face. 

“Are you related to a Lorelei Potter by any chance? A firey redhead who likes to steal stuff.” Panic twists my tongue as I look to the door at his question. How does he know Lorelei? Is she in trouble? 

Did he hurt her? 

“Is she okay?” That makes me pause, my eyes flickering to his face. I can see worry there, concern so honest that it takes me a moment to breath. 

“How do you know my sister?” I demanded, refusing to answer his question, watching him sigh. 

“It’s a long story kid…” I want to interrupt but he holds up a hand, and he starts talking. “She pickpocketed me, at a park, and I caught her. I swear, I didn’t mean to freak her out, but I did and she lost control of…” He waves his hand around him as if I can understand his hand gestures. 

And I do, sort of. 

Lorelei could make things happen, we both could. Ever since we were babies, we could make things float and disappear, and Lorelei could make things blow up or crumble away into nothingness. It made us freaks, but it helped us survive. 

“Did she hurt you?” I gesture to his bandages and I could see Adam's apple bob as he swallowed. 

“She didn’t mean to. As I said, I startled her. I should have handled the whole thing a lot… Easier than I did. Hell, if I had known she had powers, I would have just let her take my damn wallet.” His hand was shaking when he ran his fingers through his hair, messing it up even more. “I’ve been scouring the city for her, mainly because she left all her shit with me.” 

For a second, I wonder what the hell he was talking about. But then I remember why we had been out and about that day. Lorelei had been getting groceries, and she hadn’t come back with them. 

_ So that’s why we left… _

“So, kid. Wanna tell me why she blew me up? Or how for that matter?” I was a bit startled at the question, my eyes widening at the question. I mean, how was I supposed to answer that? 

_ Truthfully.  _

Because I wasn’t like Lorelei. I wasn’t good at lying, I never had been. While she could spin a tale or two to anyone who would listen, I preferred doing the listening, or writing. 

I loved writing. 

“Honestly, I don’t know.” I held up a hand for him to let me finish as he opened his mouth, swallowing down the fear. “ It’s just something she can do. Something we can do. Our family never explained why we could do it either, just that we... We were freaks because of it.” 

That seemed to make him angry, his jaw tightening some as I watched the vein in his forehead pop. Instinctively, I pushed back in my chair, getting ready to run. I knew I could outrun this guy if I had to, but I didn’t know the area and had no clue if he knew it. 

But as soon as my butt lifted off the chair to go, he sighed and leaned back in his chair, his hand visibly shaking as he touched his jaw. 

“Freaks? Fuck man, you both aren’t freaks.” He shook his head as if he couldn’t believe what I had told him, his eyes losing focus. 

_ Like he is remembering something.  _

“Then what are we?” I almost don’t want to know. But I need to. Because something tells me this guy knows. He knows what we are. 

And I guess, I know it too as he speaks. 

“You’re magic, Harry. You’re a wizard.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I lied. This chapter doesn't contain a whole lot of truth to it, but the next few will. We will also be meeting another main sideish character in like... Three chapters?


	6. Deals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lorelei and Harry meet with Clint, and a deal is made

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbetad

_ If looks could kill…  _

Clint knew he would have been dead about five times over, by how hard the little girl in front of him was glaring at her. It was like she knew that if she stared hard enough that he would drop over dead, his heart no longer beating. Hell, he was even afraid that it would happen if her eyes didn’t leave him soon. 

_ She hasn’t even fucking blinked.  _

Now, Clint hadn’t expected a warm welcome, not when Harry had tricked his sister off the streets and into the restaurant. He had expected this hate, but not like this. Not this cold, smoldering ember that seemed like a true blaze about to ignite. 

It made his stomach turn, knotting and cramping. 

“So… You going to eat?” He couldn’t take anymore, gesturing to the food in front of her with a small grimace. He could even see Harry flinching a little as he spoke, breaking the almost ten minute silence that had been going on. 

“No.” Her voice was cold, colder than it had been when she had hissed out her brothers name upon seeing him in the restaurant. 

“We shouldn’t waste the food.” Harry prodded her side as he spoke, and that made Clint concerned. Were they that desperate for food? He knew what little Harry had told him, which wasn’t a lot. 

Just that they had run away from their relatives who hadn’t been the greatest and had been living rough for the last few days. 

_ Been living rough for a lot longer than that.  _

“Look, your brother is right, you shouldn’t waste this. I mean, from what he has been telling me, you guys need all the food you can get.”Clint knew that had been the worst thing to say when suddenly the girl’s eyes darkened, her eyes flickering to the side towards her brother. Harry ducked his head with a look towards Clint, one that screamed that he had just been thrown under a bus. 

“What.. Did.. You.. Tell… Him…?” Lorelei hissed under her breath, her head turning to the boy who was slowly sliding down into his seat. 

“Just that we ran away.” Lorelei growled a bit, as much as a human girl could as she threw up her hands. It was in frustration, and it seemed like a gesture that Harry was used to as he seemed to relax a little. “I don’t think he is going to make us go back to the dursley’s Lore.” 

Clint watched a dance go on in her eyes, the fire burning and raging until suddenly it was gone. He watched as she sunk down a little, the vulnerability in her wide green eyes making guilt bubble up in his stomach. She looked like a child then, a miserable child who was scared and alone. 

_ Not so alone,  _ Clint thought as he looked over at Harry, the younger boy looking at his sister with a look of understanding. 

“You’re not going back. Ever.” Clint ignored the way her head snapped up, the fire returning to her eyes as she glared at him. “In fact, I am pretty sure that your Aunt and Uncle are both in a jail cell some place.” 

It had been the first phone call he had made when Harry had gone out to find Lorelei. Fury hadn’t been happy but he understood. Clint was the patron of lost causes, of abused children. And trying to change that would be almost impossible. 

“Then where are we going? Sure as hell not to a foster.” Lorelei barred her teeth at him, like an animal would. 

_ Barney would love you kid.  _

“Not with magic. You’d probably blow the place up.” She flinched at that, her head ducking as a look of guilt crossed over her feline features. But Harry didn’t seem to like the teasing, his eyes narrowing as he looked at Clint, magic and a warning swirling in his eyes. 

“Still not going to the foster. They abuse kids worse than the Dursley’s and we do fine on our own.” Her voice was hard, her fingers clenching the edge of the table as her butt lifted up. 

She’s going to bolt. 

Clint had to think quickly, thanking every god there was that he had been trained to think on his toes. Because honestly, he knew he was five seconds from receiving a second dose of being blown up. And then he would lose both of them, highly dangerous and powerful preteens who hated authority and probably could take out multiple SHIELD agents. 

The answer came quick, and Clint knew he was going to be in a shit storm of trouble for this.

_ Fury don’t kill me for this.  _

“You’ll be coming to America. With me. I’ve already set everything up.” Liar.” And you’ll be living with me while going to school. You both need to be taught about magic, and honestly, with how much damage you did missy.” He raised a finger to point out Lorelei, a small smile crossing her face. She was destructive that was for damn sure.” I don’t trust the system on either the human or magical side not to fuck up.” 

Shock passed by both of their faces at the answer, before they both looked at the other, a silent conversation going between the two. It made Clint think of him and Barney, talking without words when words couldn’t be said. But as a spy, Clint could read the conversation almost as easily as if it had been spoken. 

**Can he be trusted?**

**Maybe. ** Harry looked at him from the corner of his eye and then back at his sister.  **I think he really is worried, and I get the vibe from him that he has been through the same stuff we have. **

Lorelei looked at him then, her eyes taking him in and Clint let his mask drop. The one he kept over himself, the one that made him an agent. Coulson said abused kids had something in their eyes, something that called to others. Made it so you could tell who a person was, if they had been through the same thing as you. Clint had learned how to hide it, not wanting to seem weak. 

But he let that weakness show, just for a moment. 

And he knew it made all the difference as Lorelei turned, leaning forward as she spoke. 

“We want an allowance. Not much, but enough that we can buy our own shit. I don’t want to cook, clean, or do yard work.” Clint made the mental list of things she said, looking Harry as he mimicked his sisters pose, adding in. 

“I love cooking and cleaning. Yard work sucks though. I want to be near a library, a really big one with lots of books. Oh, and I want books. I want to buy books.” Harry didn’t seem as sure as Lorelei as he made demands, ducking a little as he spoke. “And I want new clothes. I don’t want to wear hand downs.” 

Lorelei nodded frantically at that, reaching over to pat her brother's hand.

“Okay, all of that is fine. But I want the promise you both will go to school, and college.” Not that Clint had, but he knew how important it was. Getting an education would be the first priority for both of them. He could see Harry perk up at this, but Lorelei looked nauseated. 

And it broke his heart when she spoke. 

“Are you going to make us dumb down?” Harry seemed to deflate when the question was asked, and Clint didn’t have to ask what she meant. 

“Fuck no kid. You both show the fucking world how smart you both are. I won’t make you do anything you don’t want to do, unless it's college related. Education is important.” She just wrinkled her nose even more and sighed. 

“Fine. But no punishments for grades, or for anything. You touch either of us and I’ll kill you.” Clint knew she wasn’t joking as she gave him that icy glare. It made him shiver, his training the only thing that kept him from paling. 

“I’ll do it myself if I ever do hurt you two. I ain’t like my old man, or your Aunt and Uncle. But if you ever feel like you are in danger, I’ll give you my CO’s number, and he’ll come and handle it.” He knew Coulson would go through hell for both of these kids, even though he hadn’t met them yet. Coulson was like that. 

“We have a deal then.” Both kids held out their hands, their eyes wide and accepting. 

Fury was going to really kill him when he held out both of this and shook their hands together. 

“Deal.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit its been a long time! I'm so sorry for the delayed update and stuff, but here it is. The next chapter. I have the one after this done as well and will post it after editing.


	7. Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Lorelei have a decision to make with clint.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short new chapter, longer more plotty chapter next.

The safe house was well guarded, with the security system the best the world that Clint belonged to had to provide. The moment we stepped into the house, he had gone to disarm it, mumbling about bombs and such. 

I, honestly, didn’t want to know. 

Instead, I grabbed Harry from where he was ogling the view of London, and started to find all the exits the place had to offer. I wouldn’t allow us to be trapped here if things went south, or if Clint turned out to not be who he said he was. 

I was going to protect my brother at all costs. 

Even from himself if I had to.    
  


“You need a proper shower.” I told him for the eighth time, staring at the grime on his fingernails. He was usually so proper, so clean, but since living on the streets meant we didn’t have access to a shower, he hadn’t had a bath. But now we had access to a beautiful bathroom, and a shower that had, according to Clint, the hottest water you'll ever feel. 

“I know. So do you.” He quipped, grabbing a towel from the shelf in the hallway. I hadn’t let him leave my side for a second, but now I needed him gone. 

I needed to talk to Clint. 

The man had given us space, on the phone with his bosses most of the time we had been in the apartment. And he had only left once to grab the bags a courier had left for us, contained toiletries and such for living in this new place. 

“I’ll be out here when your done.” Gesturing to the living room, I stepped back as Harry went into the bathroom, shutting the door between us. I waited a moment for the water to start, before turning to find Clint in the doorway to the hall, watching me. 

It seemed like he had had the same thoughts as me. 

“Harry needs new glasses, and new shoes.” I had gotten new shoes just a few months prior, a pair of joggers that Petunia hadn’t wanted anymore. They were snug, but they worked. Harry on the other hand only had Dudley’s old shoes that were ripping at the seams. 

“That I can do. Do you know his prescription?” At the confused look I gave him, he cursed and turned away, his hand coming up to run across his face. “Damn them to fucking hell. I swear to god. Okay, okay.” 

Turning back to me, I could see the anger in those blue eyes of his, not directed towards me or Harry of course, but at the Durlseys. It was nice to see someone so angry at them for what they had done to us, to feel a bit of justice being served. 

“I’ll get him a few pairs to work with for now. Then we can go get him tested when we get back to base. But first,” he pulled a pair of envelopes from his pockets, waving them jerkily.” We have an issue.” 

“What are those?” I had seen them before, I knew I had. In the mail a few days before we had received a few letters like the ones he held, but Dudley had been the one to get the mail that day since Harry had been indisposed. When he had come into the kitchen with them, both Vernon and Petunia had turned deathly pale. 

And Vernon had demanded I start the fire in the living room fireplace to burn them. 

“Letters for you and Harry, invitations for schooling.” Taking a few steps closer, I held out my hand for one, surprised when he gave them over readily.

Hogwarts. Opening the letter, I read it quickly, or as quick as I could. Sometimes the letters got mixed up when I went to fast, but I understood the gist of what the letter was getting at. Me and Harry were being invited to go to school in Scotland, to some famous Witchcraft and Wizardry Academy for being with magic. Remembering Clints words just a few days ago, I knew I was a witch and Harry was a wizard. 

But could we learn with others of our kind? 

We had never done well with children our own age. Being abused had made us grow quickly out of childish habits, not to mention Harry’s proclivity towards being a recluse. He didn’t like to talk to people most of the time, and I hated people on principle. 

There were so many factors, so many questions that I needed answered before I could make this decision. Harry wouldn’t care either way, so long as I was there. I knew him like the back of my hand. But this was big, and I felt the need to consult with him first. 

“Do you know anything about this school?” Looking up at Clint, I watched him hold a internal debate with himself for a moment before he nodded.

“I do. The school is supposedly the best one of its kind on this side of the world. That and the headmaster is considered the most powerful wizard in the world.” There was a moment before he kept talking, a hesitance that made me uneasy. “ But the British ministry for magic is corrupt, and the school has been known for turning out less than savory wizards. Just a decade or so, there was one wizard who sought to take over the entire world and yeah, it was a bad time. I can answer any questions you have if I know the answer.” 

He wasn’t the best source of information, but as I started to question him, he gave what he could. 

Hogwarts was an amazing school, and a lot of amazing wizards and witches had come from her halls. But there was a problem with the ministry meddling in the schools affairs, and that a lot of dark wizards had come from one of the schools houses. Because of that, there was a problem with prejudices and rivalry. 

“Harry doesn’t need that type of environment.” I whispered to myself after Clint told me about the Slytherins and the prejudices they faced. I knew there was a chance that Harry could end up in that house, and if he was, he could be bullied. 

Or at least, they would try to bully him. 

“We don’t know unless we try.” Harry's voice made me startle a little bit, turning to look at my brother where he stood dripping on the carpet. For a second, I felt horrible for talking about this without him, but there was no wariness in his eyes, only open acceptance. 

I loved him. 

“That is true. And if you didn’t like it there, I would be more than willing to bring you to America instead. It may take a bit, but I could get some tutors for you both, until we could get you enrolled into one of the American schools.” My face perked up a bit at the thought of more time to make a decision. 

We needed time. 

“I think maybe we should give Hogwarts a try.” Harry spoke up as I remained silent, throwing in his vote. “If we really don’t like it, Lore, we can pull out. Clint, we can pull out right?” 

Watching the man nod, I took a deep breath, knowing I couldn’t go against Harry when he decided to speak up. He wanted things so rarely, and this, this I could give him. 

Hogwarts couldn’t be too bad after all. 


	8. Train

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Lorelei meet a few new people, and possibly make new friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So originally, this chapter was spit into two parts, with one part being Harry's POV and the other being Lorelei. But I decided to split the chapter up into two parts, possibly three, and make the chapters shorter. So sorry, this isn't as long as it originally was.

We had a month with Clint. 

A whole month before school started, a month to get to know him and for Lorelei to open up a little more. It hadn’t seemed like a long time, but by the time we were getting ready to leave, I realized it had been a lifetime. 

A lifetime with a Father. 

I don’t know when I started to see Clint that way, and I kept it to myself. I didn’t know how the man would feel about it, even if he did seem to take being our guardian like a duck in water. He was so good at it, though honestly, we didn’t cause him much trouble. 

The worst that had happened was when Lorelei had disappeared for an hour after we had gone to Diagon Alley for our school supplies. I had been getting fitted for my robes, Lorelei bored out of her mind when some snotty boy had come into the shop. He had made Lorelei angry, and she had stormed off, mumbling about going to the wand shop to talk to the old man again. After we had just dragged her out of the shop. 

She had been fascinated by wand lore, Ollivander happy to tell her everything she wanted to know about her wand. 

And about mine. 

_ It is curious that you should be destined for this wand when its brother gave you that scar.  _

We had both demanded to know about the man, and the story had turned my stomach. Lorelei seemed pale to, but then she had launched into her usual self, demanding more answers than the old man seemed to know. Frustrated, she had turned to wand lore, wanting to know what every detail meant. I loved her, how she was able to brush off the fact that I wielded a wand so close to the one that had caused us misery. 

Even Clint seemed not to worry and it helped me get over my concerns, instead helping Clint drag Lorelei to the next place we needed to go. She had protested, but eventually let us haul her off.

But then she had disappeared, and we were left looking. 

When we had finally found her, she was pale, and shaking, standing at the entrance to someplace called Knockturn alley. She wouldn’t talk about what she had seen, but when we got home, she had all but demanded Clint show us both how to fight. 

Without a wand. 

So, for the few weeks before we left, Clint had trained us on basic hand to hand combat, drilling into our heads that it would never be used for anything other than self defence. That wasn’t a problem for me, as I didn’t even like learning it, instead talking Clint into teaching me first aid. But Lorelei took to it easily, her vicious blows making Clint proud. 

She took to violence, while I took to healing. 

“It’s time to go Harry.” Lorelei called from the other room, breaking me from my thoughts. Looking down at my trunk, my name delicately carved into the top, I tried to gather my wits. Honestly, the thought of leaving frightened me, especially since I knew without a doubt that we wouldn’t be in the same house. 

Lorelei would go to Slytherin, I knew she would after reading about the different houses. I would probably end up in Hufflepuff or Ravenclaw, both houses seeming closer to what I valued in life. 

But truthfully, both of us would fit in with Gryffindor, to a point. Lorelei was brave, braver than any person I had ever met before, and I knew I could be when I needed to be. I knew that was the house Lorelei wanted me to be in, as she believed it would keep me safer than any of the others. 

“Harry!” Clint was the one to call for me this time and I sighed, picking up the trunk and hauling it out of my room. As I entered the room, Clint gave me one of his smiles, the ones that made it impossible not to smile back. “Hey there, you ready to go?”

Was I? 

Nodding instead of answering, I ducked my head a little when he tried to ruffle my short hair. Finally it had stayed short after being cut, the sides shorter than the top, leaving my natural curls to lay gracefully on top of my head. Even Lorelei had gotten her hair cut, her red hair cut short into a bob. 

Functional. 

“We are going to be late.” Lorelei drawled from her place at the kitchen table, her hands clutching a cup of coffee. Giving her a pointed look, she sighed and dumped the cup out, knowing how much I hated that she drank the vile drink. Coffee wasn’t good for you. 

Not that Lorelei or Clint seemed to care. 

“We are not going to be late.” Clint checked his watch as he spoke, and Lorelei snuck me a smug grin when his face seemed to pale. 

We were going to be late. 

  
  


We weren’t late, beating all the odds with just a little added help from Clint’s reckless driving. I trusted the man, but it didn’t mean that I wasn’t kissing the ground when the car stopped. Even Lorelei seemed a little off center, shaking her head to clear the dizziness being in the death trap had caused. Clint didn’t seem bothered by it, but then again he had been maniac behind the wheel. 

“Are you sure you can’t go in with us?” I asked for the millionth time as we found the platform, lingering next to it. People passed us by without a second glance, and I knew without a doubt we had some sort of glamour over us to keep their eyes away. It must have been covering the entire brick wall, as Clint couldn’t look at it for more than a few seconds before he looked away. 

“Sure kid, this is magic and as a muggle, I can’t go in. But look, both of you stick together and you’ll be fine.” As he spoke, there was a slight shift in his demeanor and with reflexes I had begun to develop myself, he turned to look at the stout woman who had stopped behind him. 

This woman was old, older than even poor Ms. Figg. But everything about her screamed class, from the way her hair was styled to the wizarding robes she wore. Behind her, there was a boy our age who clutched what I thought to be a toad to his chest, his eyes wide and fearful, but curious. 

“I do hope you don’t plan on blocking the entrance all day.” She simpered, raising a perfect silver eyebrow up. It was a practiced look of disdain, and I could see Lorelei start to bristle. And I couldn’t blame her. 

Who the hell was this woman? 

“I’m sorry Ma’am, just making sure my Kids get on safely. I’m a muggle you see, and can’t go on with them. I just wanted to reassure them again.” This seemed to soften her face a little as she pushed the boy from around her. 

“Stop cowering!” She hissed, before turning back to Clint with a perfect smile. “I understand completely, Is it their first year?” At the nod, she hummed, clapping her hands. “Oh great news, it is my darling Grandson Neville's first as well, he will make sure they get on and help them. We will handle the trunks, dears, so don’t worry about taking them.” 

Neville seemed a little off put by the idea, color draining from his already pale skin. I felt a little bit of pity for the boy, knowing he would get eaten alive unless he grew a backbone.Until then he was a doormat to anyone who wanted to use him. 

Including Lorelei. 

“Oh that would be wonderful.” She sang, reaching around me to grab Nevilles arms. The boy's eyes went wide, a flush coloring his cheeks. “Let’s all go in then, before we all miss the train.”

In a move that I knew was forced, she hugged Clint and pulled Neville towards the entrance to the platform, her eyes determined. Turning to Clint myself, I listened to Neville explain how to get onto the platform, watching them leave. 

“You need to go Harry.” I knew Clint didn’t miss the way the old woman’s eyes lit up, going to my forehead that was covered by my hair. Hugging him, he whispered into my hair, “Keep your eyes open, keep your sister safe, and for God’s sake kid, have fun.” 

Letting go of him, I nodded instead of answering verbally, wincing a little when a new family lingered near ours, the loud voices making me want to hide. They were… Enthusiastic. 

“Bye Clint.” 

Bye Dad. 

  
  


It didn’t take long to find Lorelei, my twin lingering in one of the entrances of the train, her eyes challenging and dark. Like she dared anyone go past her or ask her to move, my eyes rolling at the intimidating aura she was drenched in. It was all for show, a warning she had given when we had gone to normal school. 

God, school. 

Anxiety bubbled up in my stomach, remembering that in just a few hours, we would be at school. With kids our own age. We had never been good with them after all, Lorelei and I had to grow up faster than a normal child. But I would try, and I knew if I did, then Lorelei would as well. 

Walking up to her, I was surprised to see Neville lingering just inside the train, even more surprised to see him talking softly to my sister. She must have pulled him to the side in the few moments she had alone with him, maybe she had told him to grow a backbone. 

I know I would have. 

“Hey lore, Neville. Let’s find someplace to sit.” That loud family was behind us, adding to the noise level on the platform. I almost laughed when Lorelei turned a bit to give them a withering glare, disgust playing on her face. 

“Yeah, let’s go.” Grabbing both my hand and Nevilles, she dragged us off and towards the back of the train, glaring at anyone who dared get in our way. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face this time, laughing softly at the act. 

No one would dare mess with her now. 

Me on the other hand, they might mess with me. Or Neville. Looking over at the timid boy, I gaped in surprise at the set of his jaw. For a moment, I didn’t see a boy who was frightened, I saw a boy who was ready for anything. 

Stopping in the first empty compartment, I sat down across from Neville, moving to make room for Lore. Quiet descended upon us for a few moments, before Neville pulled out the toad from his pocket, holding the fat thing out with a small smile. 

“This is Trevor, my uncle gave him to me. Do either of you have pets?” At the shake of our heads, he hummed and nodded to himself. “Might wanna think about getting them, it’s supposed to help with home sickness and all.” 

“We won’t get homesick.” Lorelei scoffed, and I had to admit she was right. We had never had a real home before, and I didn’t think missing Clint would be the same. 

“Still, it’s nice to have one. Anyway, I introduced myself to your sister, but not you. I’m Neville Longbottom.” A small snort escaped Lorelei from beside me as Neville introduced himself to us, and I rolled my eyes. God, she was rude sometimes. But he didn’t seem to mind, or rather he was probably used to it. Longbottom was a funny name after all. 

“I’m Harry Potter.” There was no automatic hero worship in his eyes, only a slight widening. It endeared him a little more to me, remembering how some of the people in Diagon alley had had that bit of worship in their eyes. 

It had scared me, honestly. 

“Wait did you say Harry Potter?!” 

That voice came from nowhere, all our heads swiveling around to stare at the boy who had stopped in front of our compartment, eavesdropping obviously. I recognized him from that loud family, his red hair not easy to mistake. Now, in his eyes, I saw that look I dreaded, scooting closer to Lorelei, who had started to glare. 

“Does that make you Lorelei Potter? The twins who lived?!” Feeling her bristle, I gave Neville a warning glance as he watched everything unfold. Lorelei had a temper, and had an immediate distaste for the moniker that had become attached to our names. 

“Yes, we are. But do not call us that unless you want to be missing a tooth and sporting a broken nose.” There was venom in her voice, reminding me of a spider or snake ready to bite and tear. She was getting ready to tear this kid a new one, when suddenly two new red heads had popped their heads around their younger sibling. 

“Look what we have here Forge.” 

“Little ickle firsty’s sitting in our compartment.” 

“Tsk tsk tsk won’t do.” The two of them talked as one, my eyes bouncing between them. They were wearing Gryffindor robes, the red and gold giving them away. “And two of them are little famous firsties.” 

“But oooh. We don’t think they like that.” Forge, if that was his name, spoke, his eyes glued to Lorelei. “Scoot Ron, find some place else to sit.” 

Pushing past their brother, they sat next to Neville, the other paling and trying to melt into the seat. Seeing the empty seat, Ron seemed to try and move into the compartment, but was pushed to the side as a dark skinned boy joined and filled that empty seat. 

“Ello Forge, Gred, firsties.” The new kid greeted, holding out his hand to Lore and I. Shaking it, he introduced himself with a kind smile, turning to Neville as well. “I’m Lee Jordan.” 

“Lorelei, this is Harry. And Neville.” Neville seemed thankful that she had introduced him as well, shaking the boys hand. 

“Lee I was gonna sit there.” It was Ron who spoke, his face red and his eyes betraying his anger. “I want to talk to..” 

“No you were not.” Gred interrupted. “Plus we told you, you can’t sit with us until you are at least a second year. Or maybe even third. No ickle little Ronnikins as firsty allowed to sit with us.” His voice was mocking, but there was a real warning in the boy's eyes. I wondered if he was just a jerk to his brother, or if it had to do something with the fact that Lorelei looked fit to kill. 

“But I.” Ron didn’t get to finish, as Forge reached around and shut the compartment door in the boys face. 

“Sorry about that, he has no tack.” 

“No tack at all.” 

“And you do?” Lorelei drawled, her head tilting like a predator examining her prey. At their nods, she sat back and hummed. “We shall see.” 

And I guess, we would. 

  
  
  
  



	9. Alley

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> WARNING THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS TRIGGERING THINGS SUCH AS IMPLIED RAPE, MURDER, AND GRAPHIC VIOLENCE. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS TRIGGERING THINGS SUCH AS IMPLIED RAPE, MURDER, AND GRAPHIC VIOLENCE. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

**WARNING THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS TRIGGERING THINGS SUCH AS IMPLIED RAPE, MURDER, AND GRAPHIC VIOLENCE. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.**

Pretending everything was okay was easier than it probably should have been. 

While Harry became fast friends with the people who had chosen to sit with us, I felt myself drifting like I had started to do for the last few days. The water rose up to meet me, drowning out the world around me in waves. 

Harry didn’t notice, but I would never blame him for it. He was finally starting to be himself again, to really open up. And I would never take that from him, even if it meant that the nightmares I fought with during my sleep now haunted me during my waking hours. 

_ I just wanted to go talk to that old man again, but I had turned the wrong way in the crowd, pushed and shoved as the afternoon rush overtook me. When I finally pulled away from the crowd, I was someplace new.  _

_ Someplace dangerous. _

_ The smell of urine and fear mixed under my nose like a noxious gas, making me gag as I pressed myself against the alleys walls. This place was different from the happy place I had been shopping in with Harry and Clint. No, the alley I had found myself in was drenched in such darkness that both called to me and revolted me.  _

_ I didn’t even notice as I slipped further down into the alley, away from where I should have run.  _

_ It was the belly of a beast, a beast I didn’t even know I had been engulfed by. By the time the first person came from the darkness, I was more curious than scared, more disgusted than either of them.  _

_ It was a woman, with long red hair and broken eyes. She looked wrecked, like all the life had drained from her, and the smile she gave me didn’t reach her eyes.  _

_ “What is a sweet thing like you doing here?” She croaked, her hand slipping up to play with the edge of my short sleeve shirt. Stepping away from her, I didn’t notice the man behind me until his hands were covering my upper arms, holding me in place.  _

_ “What is a sweet thing like you doing here?” The woman repeated again to me, as those fingers touched my collar, slipping under to slide like oil across my skin. My stomach heaved as I caught a new scent, and I could only assume the decaying smell came from her.  _

_ I thrashed in the hands of the male, listening to him chuckle as his fingers tightened to the point of pain. Fear flooded my veins, and I could hear someone sobbing, begging to be let go.  _

_ I was sobbing. _

_ I was begging.  _

_ I never begged, not once while I had lived with the Dursley’s. Pride and hatred had made my skin tough, but there had been limits to my relatives cruelty. I knew they would have never allowed me or Harry to die, not directly by their own hands. But these people, the woman with the dead smile and the male who seemed like he was giant behind me, I knew they wanted nothing more than to break me.  _

_ To kill me.  _

_ But God I wish they would have stopped there.  _

_ “What is a sweet thing like her doing here, Fenrir?” The woman sounded gleeful as she asked the man, and he leaned down to growl into my ear. An inhuman growl that shook me to my core.  _

_ “She is here to entertain me.” _

  
  
  


“Lorelei.” 

“Lorelei.” 

“Hey, Lore.” Someone was shaking my shoulders, bringing me up from the depths of the ocean drowning me. As my eyes opened, I saw it was Harry who was trying to wake me, his eyes filled with concern. 

“We almost there?” I forced myself to yawn, to act as if I had simply fallen asleep. It was farther than the truth, even if I had been mostly unaware. For a second, panic filled the corners of my conscious, and I took a quick stock of my body. 

I hurt, but the bruises were old, no new pain lingering anywhere on my body. No, there was only the pain that was slowly fading, the pain that lingered in one of my most private parts. 

Even thinking about the pain made the new darkness in my heart to flare up, to purr in delight as I remembered the blood and the pain. As I remembered the man,  _ Fenrir,  _ and the way his hands had slipped into me, had taken everything I had left. 

And the way I had torn his body to shreds with magic that had frightened me. 

I must have gone pale, Harry reaching up to feel my forehead as the others in the compartment all whispered. I could hear their concern, and it took everything in me not to scream at them, to not run from the pity in their eyes as they looked at me as if they knew. 

There was no way they knew. 

“You look sick, do you need a medic or something?” There was such raw vulnerability in Harry’s voice as he spoke, his eyes wide and it broke something else in me. Shaking my head, I reached up to pat his cheek, the lie leaving my lips. 

“No, the train is just making me nauseous.” It was a good lie, one that seemed to work on him for a moment, the relief flashing through his eyes making my stomach clench. I wish I could just tell him the truth, so he would know that I was so far from okay at the moment. That I was slowly being eaten alive by this darkness. 

By the need to kill. 

Looking at the twins, I felt this pressure build in my chest, instinct pushing me to move. To take my wand and jam it through their eyes, through their necks. To bathe in the blood, to really get a good glimpse at the scarlet color that the darkness craved. 

But then it was gone, gone with the touch of a hand against my shoulder. 

Startling a little, I looked back at Harry, into those green eyes and felt everything quiet. He calmed the storm inside of me, the light to the darkness that killing someone had birthed. Giving him another smile, this one reaching my eyes, I could have sighed when his eyes narrowed and he gave me the look that warned me he wasn’t going to let this go. 

Well, I had been upset he hadn’t noticed how fucked up my head was becoming. 

I couldn’t be upset now. 

  
  


Kicking the boys out of the compartment for a moment, I changed and stepped out as the train slowed down. And I could have sighed in relief when I saw that only Harry and Neville had waited for me, both boys talking about flowers and herbs. It seemed that they both were on a fast track to becoming friends. 

It was a good thing. 

As the train came to a complete stop, we were all swamped by the amount of students going for the exits, the sound making me duck my head. There were whispers of course, people recognizing me and Harry. Some even tried to get closer. 

But Neville stepped in the way, giving me a small smile. 

I felt a little bad for what I had said to the shy boy earlier, seeing as he was now protecting us from the crowd. 

_ “Look, I don’t care what your grandmother wants, or what she tells you to do. I won’t be your friend, I don’t want to be your friend. I have no need for them, and my only goal here is to get through all seven years with Harry intact. So if you plan on getting in our way, I will warn you now, I don’t need a wand to tear you limb from limb.”  _

If Harry knew what I had told the boy, he probably would have been angry. But he wasn’t, which meant Neville hadn’t told him. 

One point to Longbottom. 

Getting off the train took a good twenty minutes, and by the time we had joined the other first years, there were more whispers and pointed looks. The giant who seemed to be our guide had me stepping back a little, but I had to remind myself that the other was gone, and that this friendly looking male couldn’t have been him. 

Plus, Fenrir had had silver hair. 

“Welcome, Welcome. I’m Hagrid, gameskeeper here at Hogwarts. I will be takin’ you all to the castle by lake. Good day for it too, the squid is awake and wantin’ to show off a bit.” His voice was loud and commanded attention, a few of the boys, including the silver haired prick from that day, snickered. 

“Half giant.” They taunted underneath their breaths, the three of us, Neville, Harry, and I, all tensing. The man didn’t seem to hear them, or maybe he ignored them, but we had heard. 

And now, I was planning on making the little pricks lives hell. 

“Come along then.” Hagrid led us to boats, sticking us all in them four at a time until it was just himself and us, sticking us with him with a broad smile. As soon as we were all seated, he pulled a pink umbrella from his coat and tapped the end of it against the boat. Lurching a little, the boats started across the dark water, the smell of the lake drifting up along the breeze. 

“Lore.” Harry saw the castle first, his voice in awe as his eyes widened. Even I was impressed for a moment at the beauty of the castle, the light like stars in the water, disrupted only by pale colored tentacles reaching from the water and splashing playfully. 

“I know Harry.” I reached out for his hand to hold, surprised for only a moment when Neville grabbed his other. Sending us both grateful looks, Harry turned his attention to the water while I looked at the boy who had already started to prove his worth to me. 

His eyes were on me. 

Nodding just a little, he returned the gesture shyly, ducking his head as he turned to look as we got closer. I did the same, smiling just a little as the boats came to a stop on the choppy shore. 

  
  


“Alright, everyone out.” Hagrid called, and he got out of our boat to help the others out of their own, smiling at everyone as if he didn’t hear the pricks who had started up the taunts again. 

I wanted to teach them a lesson. 

“Harry, Lorelei.” Looking up at Neville, he gestured to the front of the castle, where a lone woman stood, her face pinched as if she had just sucked on a lemon. From the moment I saw her, I felt my whole body tense up, taking a step in front of Harry. 

I recognized her, but from where I didn’t know. 

“That is Professor McGonagall.” Neville explained as we were ushered towards the woman, Harry’s hand clenching harder and harder around my own. He recognized the old woman as well, and that never boded well for either of us. “She is the head of Gryffindor.” 

Fuck. 

Looking back at Harry, I could see the slight panic on his face. He had wanted to go to Gryffindor, or at least that had been one of the better options. It was one of the only places I would have fit in with him, other than Slytherin, but now he knew I would never go there. Not without knowing why I knew this woman. 

If she turned out to be a threat, I didn’t want there to be a possibility of us being under her thumb. 

“Gather around students, Gather around.” Her voice even sent warning bells off in my head, and I pulled Harry behind me forcefully, the darkness rising in my stomach to get ready for a fight if there was one. But the woman barely even glanced at us, continuing to speak. “In just a few moments, you will be ushered into the great hall to be sorted by your last name. Please keep quiet as your fellow first years are sorted, and when your house is called, you are to go and sit with them. Now, I will go see if they are ready.” 

As she turned, I saw her eyes linger on mine for a moment, a small kind smile working its way onto her face. That did nothing to calm me down, my senses on a alert. 

It was because of this, I sensed the boy coming up to us before he spoke. 

“You’re the boy and girl who lived aren’t you? I’ve heard a ton about you from my Father, he works for the ministry and is on the board for the school.” It was the snotty boy from before, and I turned us to him, keeping Harry partially behind me. The little prick noticed this, his face twisting up as a sneer crossed it. “Why is he hiding behind you? And why are you bothering with this lot? I would think two of your status would know better than to associate with useless wizards like the Longbottoms.”

“And what? You think you are much better, you prick.” The words left my mouth before I could control them, the darkness in my eyes tangible. Maybe he saw it, or maybe he was just shocked by the venom in my words, but either way, he stepped back and glared at me. “I think me and my brother will pick our friends for ourselves, thankfully I know the trash from the good sort.” 

Turning around from him, I pulled Harry to the front, reaching out after only a seconds hesitation to wrap my hand around Nevilles wrist. 

I had been too hard on him. 

“You little bi…” The boy didn’t get to finish as the professor came back, her face calm as she announced to us all. 

“It is time.”


	10. Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Letters that were sent during first year, up to the troll.

_ Dear Clint,  _

_ I’m sure you probably are worried by now, since neither Harry or I have sent you a letter. But honestly, the last few days have been draining, and this is the first moment I have found myself alone. I don’t know if Harry has sent you one before me, he hadn’t when I asked him at breakfast this morning.  _

_ As you probably have guessed, we got separated. Harry went to Gryffindor with Neville while I went into Slytherin. While I am glad he has a friend with him, I can’t help but be mad that we aren’t in the same house. I guess I will get used to it, even if it does suck.  _

_ Harry seems to be getting along well with everyone in his house from afar. I don’t get much time with him now, except for when we are in classes. But during them, we can’t sit together. A taboo, I’ve been told, is for two people from Gryffindor and Slytherin to sit together during class. And during meals. Utter bullshit if you ask me, but I don’t feel like making any more enemies by breaking the status quo.  _

_ Yes, I have already made a few enemies here, including my head of house. Though I really don’t know why he hates me already, but I can tell you he also hates Harry with a passion as well. He even tormented him the first day of classes, but thank god Harry is such a nerd and already read the potion text. If not, Snape would have humiliated him in front of everyone.  _

_ And I would have had to punch him.  _

_ I know what you are thinking, old man, and I know not to touch my teachers.  _

_ I’ll try.  _

_ Lorelei Potter _

  
  


_ Dear  _ _ Dad  _ _ Clint _

_ The school is amazing! My head of house, Professor Mcgonagall is a bit weird but she can turn into a cat. I gotta see her do it in class, when one of the other students had been late. Ron Weasley is his name, and honestly he drives me nuts. We are in the same room together, along with all the other boys in our year and Neville.  _

_ I’m really glad Neville is in the same dorm as me, and the same house.  _

_ I had been really afraid that I would have no one, especially since Lorelei got sorted into Slytherin. But I haven’t really been alone, not with Neville. I think Lorelei might have said something to him but he won’t confirm it and I won’t even bother talking to her. She’s been acting weird anyway, but I think that is on the account that her head of house hates us. He even tried to trip me up on some potion questions and I got them all right! Thank God for the reading I did when we got home.  _

_ Anyway, I hope you are okay. Did you go back to America? Or are you still at the safe house? I found out we can come home for the holidays and I am hoping you won’t mind me and Lorelei coming back for them. I don’t really feel like spending them here, not that I don’t think it would be awesome!  _

_ I just miss the house already, and my bed.  _

_ Write back soon,  _

_ Harry _

  
  


_ Dear Lorelei,  _

_ I haven’t written a letter in a while, but here we go. I am not surprised to hear you have enemies, but please don’t punch your teachers. Remember the breathing techniques I taught you. I am sending books along with this letter for you to read, and to implement into your morning workout.  _

_ You are still doing that aren’t you?  _

_ If you aren’t, then you might want to start again as I will not be going easy on you when you get home. Remember, the more you hone your body, the easier it will be to hone your mind. I know you get angry and I know you have problems controlling your emotions, but right now I need you to focus on calming your physical signs before we work on the mental ones.  _

_ Trust me, it all falls into line.  _

_ Clint _

_ Dear Harry,  _

_ I am proud of you.  _

_ It takes a lot of courage for you to be away from your sister, I know how hard it is. But then again, you did get into Gryffindor! That is the house of bravery right? I read that book you left, the one about the history of Hogwarts. Needed something to do while you guys were gone, since I haven’t been able to get clearance to go back to America yet.  _

_ I don’t think I will get there any time soon.  _

_ I don’t mind though. I like it at the house, and I even put in a request to stay in it long term. So yeah kid, the house will be here when you get home for the holidays. I can’t promise it will be the best holiday ever, I haven’t celebrated anything in a long time, but I can tell you that we will be all together. Hell, you can even invite Neville. Just please, make sure that old woman won’t be joining us.  _

_ She scares me.  _

_ Clint _

  
  


_ Dear Clint,  _

_ Halloween is right around the corner and I am worried. Things here have been fine, even if I haven’t spent a lot of time with Harry. I miss him you know? But he has been so busy, with Quidditch and school. There aren’t very many other activities here for people who don’t play the sport, so I’ve been spending all my time training.  _

_ Those books you have been sending have been helping a lot, and you were right about the whole body and mind thing. Just the other day I got into an argument with this absolute douche named Malfoy. I wanted to punch him so bad, but instead I took a few deep breaths and stepped back. Just a few weeks ago I am sure I would have pummeled him into the dirt.  _

_ I walked away instead, thanks to you.  _

_ Send more books when you can,  _

_ Lorelei Potter _

  
  


_ Dear Clint,  _

_ Thank you so much for signing the permission slip for me to be able to play quidditch!!!  _

_ I am the youngest seeker in a century and I have been having so much fun! At first I was a bit scared, but I think I’ve got the hang of the game after about four training sessions. Even the twins have been impressed how quickly I’ve picked everything up! I am so excited for my first game, it’s just a few days away.  _

_ Speaking of days, how have yours been going? I know you are staying in the house now full time, and I hope you aren’t too bored. It can’t be easy, being alone that long. I don’t know what I would do if I had to endure that. Which is probably why you are a good spy. I think Lorelei would be a good spy as well, she does well alone.  _

_ She has been alone it seems all year. I have heard rumors that she is pretty hard to get along with, and I know quite a few of my year mates hate her. I don’t really see most of it, but I do know she has a temper. I wish she could control it, but I think the time with our Aunt and Uncle affected her more than it did me. As awful as that is.  _

_ Either way, I’m doing good, and I miss being home.  _

_ Harry _

  
  


_ Dear Lorelei,  _

_ I’m proud of you. I don’t know how many times I’m going to say that, but dang it kid its true.  _

_ I know how much it takes to walk away, when all you want to do is hurt someone. And I know I never told either of you about my past with my brother, but I figured you might need to know now. Especially with everything going on.  _

_ Barney and I were close, we had to be to survive after our mom passed away. Dad seemed to take everything out on us after she did, everything from the bad grades Barney got to there not being enough beer in the house. And the drugs, he was on everything imaginable I guess and was constantly screaming at us. And hitting us. By the time I was 11, I had broken most of the bones in my body and I had a lot to prove.  _

_ Barney was a big ball of hatred at that point Lorelei, he couldn’t trust anyone, not even me. When Dad finally overdosed and ended up in the hospital, we ran away and ended up joining a circus. I know what you are thinking kid, and go ahead and laugh. The circus was the only place we were sure that we would be safe. They took runaways all the time and Barney had some skills on the high wire that they liked, and I was tasked with cleaning up the camp.  _

_ We were good for almost five years, but during that time I found myself struggling with my anger, with the need to hurt people. I had gotten into a few fights with the different Carnies and most of the others hated me. But one didn’t, his name was Faust.  _

_ Faust was the sharpshooter of the camp, and he was good. I don’t think I ever saw him miss, not even once. I idolized him, but Barney told me to stay away from him. I always thought that maybe it was because Faust didn’t put up with his shit, but I know now that it was because Faust was better than him and Barney knew that if he took me under his wing, I would be better than my brother. In the end, I ignored Barney and took lessons from him, and like my brother thought, I got good.  _

_ Not just at sharpshooting either Lorelei. I realized that my ability to learn with a bow and with a gun meant that I probably could learn everything else the carnies had to teach me. And boy, did they teach me. Once I had stopped trying to fight everyone, I was welcomed with open arms.  _

_ What I am trying to say Lorelei, is that you are in charge of how this goes. Of how the world sees you. I know how cunning you are, I know that you have a will to survive that outmatches some people I know. In the end, I want to know if you are going to continue to close yourself off, missing out on everything, or if you are going to open up and learn.  _

_ You are so smart, Lore.  _

_ Clint _

  
  


_ Dear Harry,  _

_ Are you okay?!? I got a letter from the school telling me that you almost got hurt in your first game? I wanted to come as soon as I heard, but your headmaster made it quite clear that I was not welcome. I don’t think the man likes me very much.  _

_ Either way, I expect a letter back as soon as possible.  _

_ And congratulations on the win, I’m proud.  _

_ Clint _

_ Dear Clint,  _

_ Someone released a troll in the school. I was in the library when I heard it stomping around, and I swear to you the headmaster must have a few screws loose because he had all the Slytherin students go back to our dorms. Clint, the troll was in the dungeons, puttering around.  _

_ Our dorms are in the dungeons.  _

_ This isn’t the first time I’ve noticed something going on. Dumbledore seems to hold some sort of grudge against us. I took your advice and started to open up some to the others, and I even have a friend of sorts. His name is Draco, and Harry can’t stand him. I understand why. Draco is an absolute prat. He is spoilt and mean, and I want to punch him more than I can stand.  _

_ But he understands me in a way Harry can’t. Dracos dad was a death eater, those who followed the mad dark lord Voldemort. The guy who killed our parents. It took a few days, but Draco opened up to me with some well placed words. His dad is a monster, Clint. And absolute monster. There are these curses, three curses that are forbidden. One is the killing curse, one is this curse that makes you do whatever the person who cursed you commands, and the last is a torture curse. I guess a lot of dark pureblood families believe that you can gain a sort of tolerance to the curse by performing on their young.  _

_ The torture curse Clint!  _

_ I talked to some of the other students and they seemed to think this was completely normal! Its horrific. I should know…  _

_ There are things I haven’t told you Clint, and I’m afraid that if I tell anyone, the darkness will come for me.  _

_ Lorelei _

_ Dear Clint,  _

_ There was a Troll! In the dungeons!  _

_ Hermione, this girl in my year, had overheard that absolute toerag Ron talking about her and was crying in the bathrooms. She hadn’t heard the news and we went to find her. When we got there, she was being attacked by it! We barely beat it back and Hermione covered for us. We even got points! _

_ It was excited and frightening, but Lorelei is really angry at Dumbledore because of the whole thing. She even cursed at Snape in front of the entire school. I don’t think she got detention though, because she made a few valid points.  _

_ Why did Dumbledore send the Slytherins back to the dungeons even though that was where the troll was?  _

_ Anyway, Hermione is now a friend, I guess. She has been really nice to me and Neville and even helped us with our homework. I also found out that we are tied for the top spots in the school! Neville would be too if he wasn’t pants at potions, we are working on that.  _

_ Everything here is amazing.  _

_ Harry _

_ Dear Lorelei,  _

_ I’m coming to Hogwarts.  _

_ Clint _

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! If you like this, all comments and stuff are appreciated. Enjoy!


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